UK accused of “dirty tricks” over BAE inquiry
A couple of months ago, we reported a Guardian story which claimed that the UK was moving against Mark Pieth, the chair of the anti-corruption watchdog of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
According to today’s edition of The Independent, senior employees of the OECD have accused the UK of leading a “dirty tricks” campaign against them.
One senior figure said it was “absolutely clear” that the OECD was being smeared. The smears are alleged to range from seeking to remove officials from their posts, undermining them with representatives of other countries and helping to circulate damaging information about staff linked to the inquiry.
Professor Mark Pieth, a Swiss legal expert closely involved in the OECD decision to investigate, is said to be among those being briefed against. Some suspect British diplomats were involved. “The dirty tricks boys were all at work,” said a senior OECD figure who asked not to be named. “There was a lot of pressure on a lot of people. But what we have tried to do is maintain the independence institutionally. The institution won’t give up.”
The story also reports the OECD’s reaction to last week’s revelations of payments to Prince Bandar bin Sultan:
Sources at the OECD say they believe full details of the payments were withheld, and a campaign to undermine them and pressure them to drop their inquiry was set in train by Britain.
The full story is on the Independent’s website.
